Eastern League Southern League (AA) Ryan Addition, John Bostwick, Jose Esteras, Blake Felter, Jimmie Hollingsworth, Javerro January, David Marcoe, Matthew McCoy, Shane Livensparger, Garrett Patterson, James Rackley, Alex Ransom, Jeremy Riggs, Charles Tierney, Alex Ziegler Texas League (AA) Travis Eggart (TL), Matthew Czajak (CAL), Ryan Simmons (FSL), Eggart promoted 7/5/14 due to Wolcott promotion. Nestor Ceja (CAL) for Eggart, Nate White (TL), Ron Teague (TL), Lee Myers (CAL), Brett Terry (TL), Ramon Hernandez (TL), Clay Park (FSL), Bryan Fields (TL), Mike Cascioppo (TL), Derek Eaton (CAL) Jake Wilburn (CAL) for Ryan Simmons as of 6/28. Nestor Ceja (CAL) for Travis Eggart.

Eggart to PCL as part of Wolcott promotion to MLB California League (A-Advanced) Reid Gibbs (NWL/SAL), Clint Vondrak (MWL), Clayton Hamm (SAL), Jake Wilburn (SAL), Nestor Ceja (MWL), Malachi Moore (NWL), Jeff Gorman (promoted from SAL to replace Ceja: Wolcott promotion, Kyle McCrady (NWL), Jason Starkovich (MWL), Sean Allen (MWL), Lewis Williams, III (SAL) McCrady and Moore directly to High Long A from Short A with no Low Long A, Jake Wilburn to TL as of 6/28, Skylar Shown (SAL) for Jake Wilburn 6/28, Nestor Ceja to (TL) 7/5/2014: Wolcott MLB promotion, Jeff Gorman promoted from SAL Carolina League (A-Advanced) Chase Eade (MWL), Mike Provine (NYP/MWL), Ryan Wills (SAL), Andrew Freed (SAL), Travis Godec (SAL), Ben Levin (SAL), Cody Oakes (SAL), Brian Peterson (SAL) Eric Bac

chus and Adam Beck from the SAL in for Ryan Wills and Andrew Freed as of 6/28.

Wills to (EL) Florida State League (A-Advanced) HP – Travis Eggert - Texas League 1B – Jasen Viscont - Eastern League 2B – Nate White - Texas League 3B – Matt McCoy - Southern League Southern League All Star Game – North Division vs. South Division Chattanooga, Tennessee – June 17 th HP – Matt McCoy - Ellis Grove, IL. 1B – Blake Felter - Kissimmee, FL 2B – Shane Livensparger - Jacksonville Beach, FL. 3B – Jeremy Riggs - Suffolk, Va. South Atlantic League All Star Game – Northern Division vs. Southern Division Hickory, North Carolina – June 17 th HP - Tucker Beneville - Efland, North Carolina 1B – Jeff Gorman - Hayward, California 2B – Rich Grassa - Lindenhurst, New York 3B – Derek Gonzales - Orem, UT Umpire Advancement in the Early Days Before the creation of a formal umpire development program, Minor League presidents would travel to the umpire schools and sign umpires to professional contracts right at the schools.

Umpires were then "sold" from league to league by word of mouth through the various league presidents. In fact, umpires were known to "politic" in order to advance themselves. The individual league presidents were 100% responsible for lining up their own umpire staffs each year. At that time, it was not uncommon for an umpire to jump from what would now be Rookie classification to AAA classification with no intermediate stops. The league itself paid all salary and expenses - as minimal as it was then - for each umpire in the league. For example, monthly salaries for umpires in the Florida Rookie League (forerunner of the Gulf Coast League) ranged from $175 to $200 per month and umpires were given from $150 to $200 for expenses. In comparison, the starting salary in the GCL is currently $1,800 per month. History of the Umpire Development Program By 1964, Baseball had decided it was in need of a new method for recruitment, training and development of umpires for the Major Leagues as well as a new method of training and advancement for umpires within the Minor Leagues.

Basically, Baseball was looking at a two-fold purpose in instituting a new program. A more athletic, energetic, educated, dedicated, and mannerly-type individual was desired - one with unquestionably high morals and integrity standards. At the same time, a different method of advancement through the Minor Leagues was needed. For those reasons, the Umpire Development Program was established at Baseball's Winter Meetings in Houston in 1964, and the program began operating in early 1965. Immediately, plans were set into motion whereby the program - based on on-field evaluations - would make recommendations to each league president concerning qualified umpires for their staffs. Major League Baseball would in turn help subsidize each league by paying for a portion of each umpire's salary. The first administrator of the program was Edward S. Doherty, Jr., a veteran baseball executive. In March 1965, Bernard (Barney) Deary was hired as a field supervisor. Prior to this, Deary had been an umpire in the International League. He had also umpired in the American Association, Eastern, Georgia-Florida, and Kitty Leagues.

One of Deary's first responsibilities was to go onto the field during Spring Training with the younger umpires and actually work with them while supervising. In April of 1965, Al Somers was also hired as a field supervisor. At that time Somers had just returned from the Far East, where he had been conducting umpire clinics for the armed forces. He was also the owner/operator of the Al Somers School for Umpires, which was the primary professional umpire school at that time. Somers stayed only until June, leaving Deary as the only full-time supervisor to cover all minor leagues throughout the United States. Deary traveled over 50,000 miles during his first season. The next important development came in 1968 when Major League Baseball decided that UDP should operate its own umpire training course each year. It was called Major League Baseball's "Umpire Specialization Course," and the first class was held in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1969. Candidates for the course were actively screened and only a limited number of applications were accepted.

The first class had approximately 30 students, including future Major League umpires Nick Bremigan, Joe Brinkman and Jim Evans. At this point, Baseball had basically two sources for professional umpires: the new Specialization Course and the Al Somers School for Umpires. Also in early 1968, veteran International League umpire Joe Linsalata was hired as a second field supervisor. He was with the program in different capacities for many years. When Doherty left in1969 to take an administrative position with the Washington Senators, Deary was named as Administrator of the program. Veteran umpire Bill Kinnamon was contracted to be chief instructor for the start of the Umpire Specialization Course. Bill was still umpiring in the American League at that time, but an injury on June 22, 1969, ended his career on the field. At the end of the 1969 season he was hired as a full-time supervisor and chief instructor of Baseball's Specialization Course. Bill served as a field supervisor with Linsalata and Deary during the 1970-1973 seasons.

Baseball's own "rookie camp" operated for only 5 years, and in 1974 Kinnamon and Linsalata both left to take over operation of the Specialization Course as a privately-owned school, independent of Major League Baseball. This left Deary as the lone supervisor/administrator again until 1979, when Mike Fitzpatrick and Dick Nelson were hired as field supervisors. Both were veteran AAA umpires, Fitzpatrick having worked in the American Association for seven years and Nelson having served as instructor at the Al Somers and Wendelstedt schools for nine years, six as chief instructor. This greatly relieved the workload for Deary, but Baseball continued to push for even more training, supervision, and development in the Minor Leagues. So Dennis Cregg was hired in 1986 as a third supervisor, followed by Tom Lepperd in 1987, and Mike Felt in 1988. Ed Lawrence was hired by Major League Baseball as Executive Director of the UDP in early 1988. In September of that year, Deary passed away after suffering a sudden heart attack.

Deary gave Baseball 24 years of service with the umpire program, his final 20 years as the program's Administrator. Fitzpatrick was then named Director of Field Supervision. As the need for further supervision and training continued to grow, additional field supervisors were hired: Phil Janssen in 1989; Michael Pilato in 1990; and Jerry Neudecker and Bill Haller in 1992. Janssen left to join the American League as Coordinator of Umpire Operations in 1992, and Felt, Pilato, and Haller left the program because of budget cuts after the 1993 season. Neudecker died of cancer in January, 1997.Budget constraints eased in early 1997 and Felt and Pilato were re-hired, along with veteran umpire Cris Jones, bringing the instructor/evaluator staff back up to seven. Through the last several years, tremendous strides were made in improved working conditions for umpires in the Minor Leagues, and the overall level of umpiring at the professional level has risen significantly.

Some of the more important features of the program include: Pay raises for Minor League umpires (the starting monthly salary for a rookie umpire is currently $1,800 (compare this with the $175 per month before the establishment of UDP). All Minor League umpire salaries and expenses are paid by the NA league which employs the umpire. Group medical, dental, and life insurance is provided free of charge for all umpires in all full-season leagues. Hotel lodging is provided free through the league offices for each umpire while on assignment within the league. Local courtesy transportation (generally a complimentary rental car) is provided through the league offices for Class AAA umpire crews in each city. Uniforms are provided to each umpire [years ago, umpires were on their own in obtaining uniforms]. Three-umpire crew system used in AAA and AA leagues [until the late 1970's, both the IL and PCL used the two-umpire system]. A fair and impartial evaluation process for each Minor League umpire, including two written evaluations each year. Thorough evaluation and training of each Minor League umpire by means of a criss-cross schedule by the evaluation staff.

Use of video and audio tape in the training and evaluation of Minor League umpires. Numerous educational and training materials published by PBUC, including the NAPBL Umpire Manual and the Manual for the 2-Umpire System. A comprehensive annual rules test administered to all NA umpires each winter. Annual Spring Training Meetings for NA umpires assigned to Spring Training. The PBUC operates out of the National Association offices in St. Petersburg, Florida. How Do I Become a Professional Umpire? The job of a professional baseball umpire requires quick thinking, common sense, and confidence. When the ball is in play, the umpire sees the action, assesses the situation and makes the call—all in a matter of seconds. The successful umpire has a thorough knowledge of the rule book, is even-tempered, and is mentally strong enough to handle situations under stressful conditions. He is expected to hustle, be alert, be in excellent physical condition, and have a neat appearance. Each year Professional Baseball Umpire Corp. (PBUC) recommends new candidates to serve as umpires for the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (the Minor Leagues).

These candidates have good training, strong ability as umpires, and a keen desire to succeed. Umpires seeking a job in professional baseball must meet some basic requirements. I can't be your people finder to contact the right person, but here's a start.Each applicant must have: High School diploma or G.E.D. Reasonable body weight Quick reflexes and good coordination Some athletic ability Required preliminary training for the job (i.e., professional umpire school) The first step to pursuing a career as a professional umpire is to attend one of the approved professional umpire training schools. These schools run for a period of five weeks during January and February each year. At the end of the training, the school and the PBUC staff members then select its top graduates for participation in the Umpire Evaluation Course, sponsored by the PBUC. During the Evaluation Course, each umpire's performance and abilities are evaluated by the PBUC staff. At the conclusion of the course the students are ranked, based on performance, and recommendations are then made to the Minor League Presidents regarding additions to their umpire staffs. Those selected from the Evaluation Course start their careers in either a Rookie or Short-A Minor League.

While progressing from Class A to Class AA to Class AAA leagues, the umpire receives valuable training and experience which may provide an opportunity to become a Major League umpire. It usually takes seven to eight years of umpiring professional baseball at the Minor League level before the umpire is considered for positions at the Major League level. Minor League Umpires Work Their Way up to ‘The Show’ COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - August 02, 1999 - Eight years of long drives, cheap motels and ballpark food finally paid off for minor league umpire Jim Reynolds. He made it to the big leagues as a substitute this season. And it looks like he's there to stay because of the labor dispute between umpires and major league baseball. “It's a completely different atmosphere [in the majors],” Reynolds said last week from Anaheim, Calif., where he was working a weekend series between the Angels and the Minnesota Twins.s.

“There's a big difference between going into Toronto and working in front of 30,000 or 40,000 people and four or five thousand in Syracuse.” Reynolds is talkative about the life he's giving up, but he says little about being in the middle of a labor mess. “I just hope they can get it all resolved up there,” he said. Members of the Major League Umpires Association, wanting a new collective bargaining agreement, said in July they were quitting Sept. 2. The leagues called their bluff, accepting 22 resignations. Reynolds is one of 25 minor league umpires hired as replacements. “I think the magnitude of it all is more than I expected,” Reynolds said. “The intensity and the atmosphere -- I don't think you can anticipate that.” Professional umpires usually get their start at one of two schools -- The Umpire School (PBUC operated) and Harry Wendelstedt's Umpire School -- where they pay roughly $2,500 to $3,000 for a five-week course in umpiring. Students are monitored during the course by Professional Baseball Umpire Corp. scouts, who pick the top candidates for minor league openings.

Like most baseball players, umpires must work their way up league by league until they have a chance at the majors. But unlike players, who can bypass the minors if they're talented enough, umpires don't usually skip levels. “If you're a prospect player, you're going to play maybe two or three years in the minor leagues. There are some guys who have never been in the minors,” Reynolds said. “Umpires, the way the system is set up now, it's six or seven years before you even get a look.” Still, Reynolds said, the players remember the umpires from their early days. “When you see the guys who you used to see in the minors, they have a smile on their faces and so do you. You spend a lot of time with a lot of those guys,” he said. A minor league umpire's season starts with spring training in late February and can last through September if he is selected to work the playoffs. The pay is nothing to brag about.

Umpires in Class A make an average of $1,800 to $2,000 a month while the top minor league umps in Class AAA make $2,500 to $3,400, said Eric Krupa, administrator for the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based PBUC. Life on the road in the lower minors can be tough. Umpires have to drive hundreds of miles after a night game to be in a new city for a game the next afternoon, Reynolds said. And the motel accommodations are lacking. “You try to figure out which bed has the least bend in it,” Reynolds said. As a Class AAA umpire, Reynolds was making more money and getting to fly between cities. Umpires are booed almost nightly by sometimes ruthless spectators. But Reynolds and his International League crew, during a stopover earlier this season at the Columbus Clippers' stadium, said they usually have fun at the ballpark. “There are 14 teams in this league,” Reynolds said. “There's two teams that think you're the worst crew and can't believe that you ever made it to Triple-A. There's two teams that think you're the best crew in the league and can't do anything wrong.

The other 10 teams tolerate you.” Reynolds was finally called up to the majors in June, when the Boston Red Sox were home against the Atlanta Braves. “That signified the major leagues to me -- Fenway Park,” said Reynolds, who grew up about 100 miles southwest of Boston outside Hartford, Conn. “It was absolutely incredible." [ edit ] Definition An Umpire is a person designated to enforce the rules of baseball during a game. In Major League Baseball , there are four umpires per game working as an umpiring crew. One umpire is positioned behind the plate (the home plate umpire) who is responsible for calling balls and strikes as well as plays at the plate, and one behind each of the bases (the base umpires) who are positioned to make calls on plays at their base, or in the outfield. The home plate umpire also has responsibility for keeping the official line-up cards; he is the only person who can determine if a substitution is legal or whether a batter is out of turn ; he must be advised beforehand if a manager intends to make a double switch . During the All-Star Game and postseason games, two additional umpires take the field, positioned along the left and right foul lines in the outfield.

Their main responsibility is to make calls on whether balls hit to the outfield are fair or foul, and whether balls have been caught on the fly or trapped. At lower levels, games can be umpired by three, two or even one official; in fact, in the early days of professional baseball, the one-umpire system was most common. Umpires are not restricted to making calls at their respective bases, although one umpire usually defers to his colleague closest to the base. For example, all umpires can call a balk , as it may only be visible from one particular angle of view, or an ejection , since only one umpire may have overheard offending words or seen an offending gesture. On complex plays, umpires will often move to cover a different base and can end up making a call there, much like a player on defense will cover a base that is not usually his responsibility. It may happen that two umpires make conflicting rulings on the same play, in which case all the umpires will confer to make a joint decision. It is very rare that one umpire will overrule his colleague, and again this is usually after a short conference among all members of a crew.

In Major League baseball, Umpires work in four-man crews headed by a crew chief . Until the 1980s , they would work the whole season without taking a break. The Umpires' union staged a series of strikes beginning in the late 1970s that improved their working conditions, including giving each umpire paid vacations during the season, and bringing their salaries up to more respectable levels. Like players, umpires come up through the minor leagues after attending an umpiring school, or working college or amateur games. They start at the lowest levels - Rookie-level or short-season class A - and work their way up to AAA and eventually the majors. Promotions are supposed to be based on merit, and if an umpire fails to move up to the next level within a specified number of years, he (or she) is dismissed. It is therefore a very competitive process to reach the Major Leagues, although, once there, umpires tend to stay until they retire or are forced out for off-the-field problems. It is now exceedingly rare for former players to become umpires, although this was quite common until the 1950s or 1960s .

Umpires are usually dressed in uniforms in which the colors blue or black predominate, thus they are often known as either the Men in Blue or the Men in Black, although they have worn other types of clothing at different times in the past. The home plate umpire wears a mask similar to a catcher's mask , as well as a chest protector , now worn inside the shirt. In the American League until the 1980s , the home plate umpire used to wear a large "balloon-type" chest protector outside his uniform; this meant that his position behind the plate was different than that of National League umpires, who wore the inside chest protector. It was argued that as a result of this difference of equipment, AL Umpires called a higher strike zone than their NL brethren. These differences have disappeared as MLB now operates with one set of umpires, who all wear the same equipment. However, the strike zone tends to vary widely from one umpire to another, to a point where MLB tried to address the problem with technology: the Questec system is a laser sensor which determines whether the ball crosses the plate within or outside the strike zone.

While Questec is not used to make decisions during a game, umpires whose rulings differ markedly from the "objective" decisions of the machine are considered by MLB to be under-performing. Not surprisingly, this system, introduced in 2003, has proved to be controversial both with umpires and with pitchers who like to work the edges of the strike zone. [ edit ] The history of the position 1876, William McLean becomes the first umpire. 1912, The use of an umpire behind the plate and one in the field becomes standard. 1947, The use of six umpires for World Series games is mandated. 1952, The leagues mandate four umpires should work each official game. 1966, Emmett Ashford breaks the color barrier among umpires. 2000, The leagues abolish their individual umpire crews in favor of one crew for all of Major League Baseball. [ edit ] Further Reading Phil Birnbaum: "Is There Racial Bias Among Umpires?", The Baseball Research Journal, SABR , Vol. 39, Number 2 (Fall 2010), pp. 65-70.

Calling the Shots -- Women are striking out in MLB By Pat Borzi | Aug 9, 2011 In the 39 years since Bernice Gera sued to become the first female umpire in professional baseball, women have commanded the space shuttle, run for president of the United States, held cabinet positions such as secretary of state, been elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and become chief executive officers of major corporations. Two women have even officiated in the National Basketball Association. But today, nine years after Gera's death, women are no closer to umpiring a Major League Baseball game than they were in 1972, when Gera worked one game in the Class A New York-Penn League. Lately, they may even have lost ground. Since Ria Cortesio's controversial firing from the Double-A Southern League after the 2007 season, there hasn't been a single woman umpire in affiliated baseball -- that is, in minor leagues whose teams are MLB club affiliates. Calling the Shots Women continue to struggle to break in as officials at the highest levels of sports. espnW examines the sports showing progress and those lagging far behind.

Story Our series continues throughout the week with an in-depth look at five sports. Here's the lineup: Saturday: NFL And Cortesio was only the sixth woman umpire in the minors, spread out over 35 years. Except for three brief crossover periods, only one woman worked at any time. "The numbers have stagnated," said Perry Barber, an umpire for 31 years and one of the longest-serving women still active. "They've gone from one to zero. That's pathetic. There's just no reason for it. There is a reason for it, but nobody is talking about it." Baseball's glass ceiling has held so tightly that it appears many women have given up trying. The number of women attending the two major umpiring schools, never large, has slowed to a trickle. One school reported it had no women applicants the past two years. That doesn't surprise Kate Sargeant, a 30-year-old Washingtonian who recently abandoned her dream of umpiring in the majors. Sargeant was the last woman to advance from umpiring school into the final selection camp for entry-level professional umpires, in 2007. She was not hired.

Even after two years in independent ball and another turn through umpiring school, Sargeant couldn't get a job in affiliated ball. "When you don't see someone like you on the field, and you don't think it's possible for you to be on the field, it's harder," Sargeant said. "The NBA made a decision they wanted to be proactive about this. The officials they found [Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner, hired in 1997] are highly, highly qualified. "And the decision was made by management. As far as I know, baseball hasn't made that decision. Maybe one day, they will." In the meantime, Sargeant created a website, , for fellow women in blue. Communication and support, she said, are important if women are ever to break through the door of the baseball fraternity. "It can't continue forever," Sargeant said. "It can't." Pam Postema rose the highest If all the women who have umpired in affiliated ball were still alive, they would fit comfortably in one large automobile. Only one came close enough to the big leagues to draw media attention: Pam Postema.

Her career spanned from 1977 to 1989, during which she spent seven seasons in Triple-A and worked MLB spring training games in 1988 and '89. Many women believe Postema could have been MLB's first permanent female umpire had commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, long considered her champion, not died of a heart attack on Sept. 1, 1989. Postema was fired that fall and later sued baseball for discrimination; the suit was settled out of court. None of the other women -- Gera (1972), Christine Wren (1975-77), Theresa Cox Fairlady (1989-91), Shanna Kook (2003-04) and Cortesio (1999-2007) -- rose above Double-A. Two more landed in independent leagues. Barber called games in the Atlantic League from 1998 to 2001, and made history in 2008 as part of an all-female crew at an unofficial spring training game between the New York Mets and the University of Michigan.

She is the only female umpire in the Cape Cod League, the leading summer showcase for top college players. Sargeant worked professionally in the New York State League and American Association in 2007, and in the United League in Texas in 2008. Sargeant's father, a Little League umpire, introduced her to baseball at age 5 by taking her to her first Dodgers game. She loved it all, from the sight of gleaming Dodger Stadium at the top of Chavez Ravine to the cadence of the peanut vendors' calls. Sargeant volunteered at 15 as an umpire for a school project. She enjoyed it, and found a calling. She knew she could never play major league baseball; umpiring provided an avenue to the field. Prospective umps with major league ambitions must attend one of two schools operated by retired MLB umpires. The Harry Wendelstedt school, in Daytona Beach, Fla., accepts about 100 students for a five-week course from early January through early February. At the same time, the Jim Evans school holds sessions in Kissimmee, Fla., and Tucson, Ariz.

Both schools charge $2,950 for tuition, housing and meals. Some attend the schools simply to improve their skills. Barber, for instance, attended the Wendelstedt school five times. Others hope to catch the eye of the Professional Baseball Umpires Corporation, which hires and evaluates minor league umpires. Each year the top 10 percent to 20 percent from each school attend the PBUC's Evaluation Course, from which the best prospects are hired for entry-level positions in rookie or short-season Class A leagues. Sargeant advanced from Wendelstedt to the Evaluation Course in 2007. However, she said she finished near the bottom of the class. "I was told I was No. 37 out of 40, and they hired 36," she said. "For the record, I think that's the spot I deserved, because there were a couple of situations I didn't handle as well as I would now." No woman has made the Evaluation Course since, in part because few are attending the schools. Brent Rice, a Wendelstedt instructor, said none applied the past two years.

"You compare that to the early 2000s, when we had five or six each year," he said. Evans said two women attended his school this year. One quit after a week because of illness, he said, and another returned to her native Taiwan when it finished. The lack of women applicants concerns Evans, who says he supports women in athletics. His daughter Lindsay was an elite ice dancer, and he hired Cortesio as an instructor after the Southern League fired her. He believes women have the skills and toughness necessary to umpire. He wishes more would try. "I'm disenchanted and disgusted that more women don't apply," Evans said. "I don't know if it's because they have families or careers or what, but not many make the commitment to a professional school." Both schools say they welcome female applicants. So does the PBUC, which will be opening its own school this January in Vero Beach, Fla. But none of them recruits prospective umpires, male or female, which Barber believes is a mistake. "They don't feel they have to put out any effort to find students," Barber said. "I know they don't recruit guys, either.

But if they don't want to do it, designate somebody to do it." Barber said she would target college softball players and other young women in competitive sports. Failing that, Barber believes women should apply to the schools en masse, 20 or so at a time, making it harder for instructors to single them out. The ever-greater number of women playing youth or high school baseball should alleviate one concern Barber has heard: that women who never played baseball can't know the game as well as men. "I still really believe they think women are incompetent," Barber said. "We're tolerated because admitting it would be illegal, but we're not regarded as capable or competent on some level. We have to go through the same B.S. over and over and over, and it just doesn't seem to be getting any better. It's a stagnant pool where nothing is growing or changing." Ria Cortesio knocked on Triple-A's door Slights and hostility toward female umpires by their male counterparts are nothing new. Cortesio's dismissal, detailed by Bruce Weber in his book about umpires, "As They See 'Em," remains a sore point among women like Barber, who finds the circumstances curious.

In 2006, Cortesio's career appeared to be on the rise. She worked the All-Star Futures Game -- a prestigious assignment for a minor league ump -- and was graded out as the fifth-best umpire in Double-A by the PBUC. The top four moved up to Triple-A, putting Cortesio in line for the next vacancy. Like players, umpires must advance through the minors or risk being released. Generally, umps are expected to move up after two years in Class A and four in Double-A. Though 2007 marked Cortesio's fifth season in Double-A, that spring she received another choice assignment, working the bases in a spring training game between the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks in Mesa, Ariz. -- the first woman since Postema to do so. But things changed quickly. By midseason, her rating had dropped to No. 17. At the end of the year, Cortesio was let go. Barber believes if Cortesio had reached Triple-A, MLB would have felt pressure to promote her or use her as a vacation fill-in for a permanent umpire. Barber has had her own interesting run-ins.

In the Atlantic League, she said a male plate umpire once loudly overruled her from 100 feet away on a dead-ball rule she applied correctly. The league backed her and quietly fined the other ump $50, she said. And Sargeant? In 2006, she said an independent league withdrew an offer to hire her. One umpire told her the league's crew chiefs unanimously refused to work with her. (That ump, himself a crew chief, reconsidered and lobbied the league on her behalf; they are now friends.) Sargeant still umpires occasional youth tournaments and hopes to pick up more college assignments next year. While still trying to break into affiliated ball, Sargeant promised herself that if her dream fell apart, she would hike the Appalachian Trail. This year, she set out on the hike. "I was angry about a lot of stuff the first third of the trail, including baseball," she said. Along the way she met another hiker, who said he played in the minors. They discussed her abortive pro career and the institutional roadblocks she faced. He offered an opinion that did nothing to alleviate her anger.

"He said, 'Sorry, Kate, it's a fraternity, and it's going to be hard for women to be accepted in that fraternity,'" Sargeant said. He wasn't telling Sargeant anything she didn't already know. Pat Borzi's three-decade career in journalism has taken him from Long Island to South Florida to New England to New Jersey and on to Minneapolis. He covered the declining years of Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics for the Portland (Maine) Press Herald, and the rise of the latest Yankee dynasty for the Newark (N.J.) Star Ledger. Related Content Who is more likely to win another Grand Slam singles title? Long road to umpiring in the majors - CNN.com Long road to umpiring in the majors By Ashley Strickland, Special to CNN International League umpire Jon Byrne, 27, is officiating his first season in triple-A baseball.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Until they make a controversial call, most fans don't even know umpires' names Umpires have to endure long, hot games, grueling travel and meager pay The ultimate goal for every minor-league umpire is to make it to the majors (CNN) -- Minor league coaches and players spit in their faces, red dirt embeds itself in their skin, and until they make a newsworthy call, probably not a single baseball fan knows their names. Don't ask these umpires if they've been hit by baseballs. The question is how many. "You don't get to triple-A without bruises," said Art Thigpen, 43, a ninth-season umpire. "You've probably been hit so many times in the same place, you don't even feel it." They're officiating minor league games in the hope they will move up to umpire on Major League Baseball fields, with a comfortable salary and high-stakes games. There are 70 possible spots in MLB, but they come available one at a time as umpires retire. Umpire Mike Estabrook declares Gwinnett Braves center fielder Jordan Schafer, right, safe at second base.

It's harder for most of these men to work their way up to the majors than it is for a baseball player. Any guy below the majors is traveling with two other men as part of an umpire crew, driving from state to state for six months. They say they are grossly underpaid and insurance is their only benefit. There's no retirement plan for umpires until they reach the majors. To pay the bills the other six months of the year, many of the umpires call winter ball games in other countries, substitute teach or work other jobs. Getting schooled To become an umpire Be over age 18, have a GED or high school diploma, and a type-A personality. Attend a five-week session at an umpire school/academy during baseball's off-season. Here, you will learn the essentials and become an umpire. If you make it, you will start receiving assignments and begin working rookie ball, then work up through the different levels, all the way to triple-A. For six months of the year, prepare to travel with two other men by van all across the country and live in hotels.

Live frugally on your salary and find an odd job you can work during the four- to six-month winter off-season. Or sign up to officiate winter ball in a warmer climate, like Venezuela or the Dominican Republic. Downside: not going home and having one month off for the whole year. Be able to deal with coaches and players yelling in your face while simultaneously defusing tense situations. Be confident, have good judgment and know that your call can't please everyone. Get some rest and don't watch baseball on any of your seven total "off" days. If you don't make it to triple-A baseball within seven to 10 years, you probably won't ever make it. Be willing to compete against your closest friends for a rare spot in the Majors. Every baseball off-season, 300 men are accepted to each of the two umpire schools in Florida, where they are put through a five-week "boot camp" that will weed out at least half of them. Without going to umpire school, you can't officiate in professional baseball.

The sessions teach umpires where to place themselves on the field, how to handle confrontations and defuse escalating situations -- and get used to furiously fast baseballs coming from every angle. If they make it through the selection process, most umpires start at the bottom of the tiered baseball system and work their way up from rookie ball to triple-A. This process can take seven or eight years, giving MLB enough time to take notice. If you haven't made it to triple-A in seven years, you probably won't make the cut. "It's a very risky venture," said Mike Estabrook, a 13-season umpire. "Getting a big-league job is like hitting the lottery, that's how hard it is. That's why we all do this. We're not here because we like being minor league umpires." Umpires rotate field positions each game, but home plate is the coveted spot. The calls there can make or break a career. The home plate umpire runs the game, Estabrook said. But the position can pose risks as well. Two years ago, Travis Brown was working home plate when a baseball bat shattered on contact with a ball.

A jagged edge sliced through his face-mask strap and came an inch from embedding in his face. Traveling men Sitting in the umpire's locker room before a triple-A game in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the four men share a few laughs. Thigpen, Jon Byrne and Brown are a crew and by the end of the season, they're going to know each other too well. Estabrook, a "rover," doesn't belong to a crew. Instead he travels alone as a fourth man to complement crews. For now, everyone seems to be getting along. If these men don't like each other, it's going to make their constant travel even more grueling. In just under three weeks, they've put 3,000 miles on their van. While Thigpen and Brown aren't too far from home at this moment -- Florida and Georgia, respectively -- Byrne won't be visiting his family until the off-season. He has traveled from Australia to work his first season in the International League with this crew. On the road, the distance presents challenges. Thigpen's wife, home with three children, is having car trouble. Her husband can't do anything to help.

When he finally reaches home at the end of the season, he'll need a week to readjust to homelife -- no working until 2 a.m., no travel, no baseball. RELATED TOPICS Sports But while tough on marriages, the road can create friendships and experiences that no normal life would present. "If you can think of it, it's probably happened at some point in an umpire's career," Brown said. "There's something about the hours that you travel at night. When you hear banjos playing in the middle of nowhere at 4 a.m., anything can happen." It also introduces the men to a few kind families who open their doors in minor league baseball towns across the country. The families often are happy to provide home-cooked meals or share a beer with homesick umpires. Until they reach the majors, these are their perks. They allow the men to forget the 19-inning games, the heckling and the mileage. Some of them love baseball and others don't, but they always aim for the ultimate goal. "Since I started in baseball when I was very young, I've been involved in just about every aspect of the game," said Thigpen, a former Chicago White Sox draft pick.

"When I'm done with this, I'm probably done. This is the last picture for me." Share this on:

Question: How many Umpires are there in a game of Baseball?
Answer: FOUR